PARIS, April 1, 2026, 16:45 CEST
Tesla’s new-car registrations shot up in France last month, more than tripling to 9,569 vehicles—up 203%—as the company also logged sizable increases in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The jump in registrations, which loosely track sales, gives the EV maker momentum in Europe just ahead of its first-quarter delivery report.
The timing here is key. According to Tesla’s analyst consensus released March 26, the company is looking at 365,645 deliveries for the first quarter—off from 418,227 in the previous quarter, but still ahead of last year’s 336,681 for the same stretch. Reuters, meanwhile, cited forecasts in the mid-360,000s range leading up to Thursday’s numbers.
Most of Tesla’s top line still comes from selling cars, despite Elon Musk’s heavy tilt toward robotaxis, robots, and solar. For investors, tracking vehicle sales remains essential to gauge if Musk’s latest ventures have real support from the auto business.
March saw gains nearly everywhere. Norway registrations surged 178% to 6,150; Sweden jumped 144% to 1,447; Denmark added 96% to 1,784. The Netherlands picked up 72%, hitting 1,819, and Spain increased 24.9% to 2,477, according to industry data. For the first quarter, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Spain all posted strong increases. The Netherlands, though, saw registrations slip 23%.
The picture looks different from last year. In 2025, Tesla’s European market share was nearly cut in half—Chinese competitors stepped up, the lineup got stale, and the Musk political backlash didn’t help. But after late 2025, cheaper Model Y and Model 3 options hit the U.S. and European markets, and registrations started climbing again.
Competition remains fierce. In February, Tesla’s European registrations hovered just under BYD’s; both grabbed a 1.8% slice of the market. Volkswagen and Stellantis also notched up increases. This week, BYD declared it was “highly confident” about reaching 1.5 million overseas vehicle sales by 2026, a reminder of the pressure Tesla continues to feel abroad. Reuters
Flavien Neuvy, who heads the automotive observatory at BNP Paribas-owned Cetelem, sees the impact from pricier petrol on March car registrations as “still marginal.” He expects the effect to become more apparent “over the coming months.” Meanwhile, Dacia France boss Olivier Mornet told Reuters that requests for electric and LPG vehicles have “spiked.” Reuters
Still, one strong month isn’t enough to define the trend. Reuters noted Tesla’s first-quarter deliveries are on track to dip from the December period, with tougher competition in Europe and China and the loss of the $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit putting pressure on demand. Tesla told British outlets last month that registrations often pile up at the end of the quarter due to delivery timing, and at the time Reuters pulled its Wednesday European roundup, numbers from Britain and Germany hadn’t been included yet.
The U.S. isn’t much of a safe haven. Cox Automotive projects first-quarter vehicle sales sliding 6.5%, with EV sales looking even weaker—possibly down by about 28% as steep loan rates and sticker shock push buyers to the sidelines. Senior economist Charlie Chesbrough flagged that losing EV tax credits will slow things down, while Erin Keating pointed out that EV shopping interest has actually hit its “highest point so far in 2026.” Reuters
Investors kept a slightly bullish tilt Wednesday, with Tesla rising roughly 1.8% in early U.S. action to $378.56. The real test arrives ahead of Thursday’s open, when the delivery figures drop. European results in March were stronger. Still, that alone might not move the needle.
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